DIAMOND PAGE — Drills turn at White Silver Mountain

Partners Teck (TEK-T) and Minco Mining & Metals (MMM-T) report that underground drilling has started at the White Silver Mountain polymetallic project in China’s Gansu province.

A 200-metre-long crosscut and two drill stations have been completed in preparation for the first phase, which will consist of eight holes totalling about 3,600 metres.

The drilling will test high-grade areas where previous drilling returned encouraging results below a producing mine. These holes returned: 17.7 metres of 2.1% copper, 5.4% lead and 9.7% zinc, plus 4.8 grams gold and 120 grams silver per tonne; 24 metres of 1.8% copper, 3.7% lead and 6.4% zinc; and 13.9 metres of 1.9% copper, 10.7% lead and 16.6% zinc. The last two holes were not assayed for precious metals.

If results from current drilling are positive, a second-phase, 7,500-metre program will test the strike and depth continuity of the Xiaotieshan deposit. The goal is to define at least 10 million tonnes that could be placed into production to generate near-term cash flow. Teck and Minco note that the existing milling and smelting complex has sufficient capacity to support a new deposit. The partners also are carrying out grassroots exploration on other areas of the property in search of massive sulphide deposits.